Part 37: Young Nobleman of the Mist

Update 37: Young Nobleman of the Mist










Vahn, Noa, Gala! We must destroy the Mist Generator! Are you ready? We've got to work together. Attack!









Noa, what happened?

My head hurts! Oohh!

Noa, hang in there!





Shut up! Stop it! Get out of my HEAD! Arrrgh!

Little sister...

Who are you?


Cort walks up to us, and Noa stops writhing.


It stopped hurting.


...I'm not really sure what purpose that brain attack served. I guess Cort just likes dramatic entries.





Music: Young Nobleman of the Mist


Note: this song is actually two songs combined (as in one plays right after the other). The first minute or so is Cort's out-of-battle theme, the rest is the in-battle theme. Also I linked to an extended version to help simulate how long these battles are getting.)


I must punish you, little sister, for trying to destroy the Mist Generator. Bad girl!

C-Cort?

Good to see you all again. You were so good to me in Conkram...so long ago. Noa, I didn't know it was you. Who would have thought I was your brother!

Ooohh! You're wrong, Cort! You're not my brother. If you're my brother, how could you be so bad to Mother and Father?

Noa, you are such a foolish little girl. The Mist is our salvation. Our parents are happy the way they are. Rim Elm, that puny cave, East Voz Forest...I underestimated you. I was trying to lure out Ra-Seru to make the Mist Generator. That was a miscalculation. But no matter. Once I kill you, everything will be right again. I will kill you gently, little sister! I will send all of you to a world free of pain and suffering.





We've known it was coming ever since Zeto name-dropped him so long ago, and here we finally are. It's time to fight the man who has become the very personification of the Mist.









Cort starts off by creating this barrier that nullifies all standard attacks, but not Arts.







It's an amusing attempt, but by this point I'd say at least 90% of my damage output is Arts so I'm not at much of a disadvantage here.







One thing I like about Cort is that he's as close as this game really gets to being a magic-based boss. He only has three moves, and this is effectively his “standard” attack. The main catch here is that Cort's attacks are 100% unblockable (at least so far as I am aware), so you just have to take the damage and heal it back up. As usual, Gala is on pretty much full-time healing duty, but I did have him take a free turn to showcase something else.









The shield makes Cort resist magic damage as well. It's basically Arts or bust.









Cort's second attack is stronger, but still nothing that a Spoon can't fix. Even Orb recovers most of that damage, especially if Vahn and/or Noa were Spiriting (Gala doesn't really get the chance to ever Spirit since he has to heal practically every turn).





Eventually the shield breaks, and then the fight really begins.





One neat touch is that, while the barrier is active, Cort doesn't have a flinching animation; he just stands perfectly still as you wail away at him, presumably to signify you are destroying his barrier rather than hurting him directly. After it breaks, he starts reacting to your attacks. Also he has his index fingers perpetually pointed out and I think that's funny.



So Cort's not that dangerous so far, right? Well, he has one last attack that he only starts using when the barrier breaks.





















Let's talk about Game Overs.

I've lost a few fights throughout this LP, but as of yet they were all fights I went in planning to lose (such as the bees in Rim Elm or the Muscle Dome), and they were fights that don't actually give a Game Over. Despite the game's difficulty, my ragged nerves, and the Delilas Family's best efforts, I have not gotten a Game Over...until now.

See, I actually did beat Cort on my first try, but then I went back and rerecorded for a certain reason that will be apparent later, and I lost my second round with him. He used Juggernaut and killed Noa and Gala, then used again two or three turns later before I could get the party back on its feet. Conversely, in my first and third battles, he only used it one time through the whole fight.

Basically, I just wanted to remind you that although the fights get samey and the last few bosses haven't been overwhelmingly awful, this game is still pretty damn hard.





Or, to rephrase the last few paragraphs: Fuck off, Cort.





I don't know if Vahn or Gala have unique win poses, but Noa does. She also says something in Japanese. My own Japanese is basically nonexistent but I seem to recall onee-chan meaning elder sister and what Noa says sounds similar to that, so maybe it's the phrase for older brother instead. I dunno.





Music: Soren Sad Song


The Mist is our salvation...The Mist is eternal...It is perfect harmony...

The Mist Generator and I are one. If I die, the Mist Generator dies...









Cort lands in the lake of Mist, and Juggernaut stirs...









...while the last Mist Generator crumbles to pieces.





The ground continues shaking violently.


Vahn, we're in trouble! The Fortress is collapsing. We don't have much time. If we don't hurry we'll be buried alive! Let's get out of here!

Why? Why?





Music: Escape!


Well, we have forty seconds to get out of here.

I mentioned I had to record this part twice. You see, unlike Zora's Castle, the game actually allows you to use a Door of Light to escape the dungeon, which alters the next scene some.





Instead, we're going to sit around and wait to die.

Once the clock hits fifteen seconds, a new cutscene triggers.







Boy, you guys sure are dense.

Cara?

Cara? What are you doing here?

I'll tell you later. Just follow me!









Ha ha ha! What do you mean, “nowhere to go”? We can go right here!


Cara leaps down the tunnel.


Aaahhh! Cara fell off...!





Our team gets caught in the explosion...





And fly rather unceremoniously out of the tunnel.


Oh, if you use the Door of Light, the team gets warped to the tunnel, Noa freaks out about how the Door of Light isn't working right (which is a nice moment of the plot referencing consumable items), and then they get blown out of the tunnel the same way, while Cara is shown standing outside like in the above screenshot. I have to say I prefer the version where Cara comes to the rescue, if not simply because it's Cara.





Music: The Ra-Seru Speak


Cara, I'll never forget what you did for us. But how...

Ha ha ha! Hey, you! Come down here!





Grantes...Is that you, Grantes?

Uh-huh.

Those Seru Wings...

The Elder gave his permission.

Hooray! Grantes, I'm so glad you came! Cara, I'm so glad to see you!

We were worried about you. We were watching the Absolute Fortress from the air. Then we saw this terrific flash of light, so we got here as fast as we could!

Grantes, that means you're a Soren again...

No, I'm returning these Seru Wings as soon as I'm done with them.





Cara...


The two push their heads together in what is presumably a PS1 effort at animating a kiss...





...Which Vahn thinks is disgusting, thank you very much. I have a feeling he and his prospective girlfriend (is that Mei or Noa? I'm still not totally sure) will have their work cut out for them if he's still afraid of the cootie monster.


Hmm.

I understand! You're in love! You're in love, aren't you!

Ha ha ha ha! You have such a pure and honest heart!

Cara...

Alright. Let's get out of here.





I'm really glad that I met you. Come visit me in Buma when you have the time. We'll be waiting.


And so Cara and Grantes fly off. God, I love her. And Grantes is okay too I guess.


Ah, it's good to be human!

Now all the Mist is gone.

That's right! And Juggernaut and the Mist Generator are destroyed, as well!

Let's go to Conkram. My mother and father are waiting for us.







Music: Conkram


Oh my...What happened to Conkram?


Noa rushes ahead, running frantically across the giant shell.


Father...Mother! Mother!!!





I destroyed the Mist Generator. The Mist is gone! Mother, Father! Now you're free of the Mist!

Ozma, tell me! What happened?

The Sim-Seru around Conkram grew in an unstable manner. The Sim-Seru could live only in the Mist. So when the Mist disappeared...The Sim-Seru died, and Conkram with it.

Terra! Terra! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me Conkram would die if the Mist disappeared?


Terra does not answer.


The King and Queen must have known this would happen, if the Mist disappeared. Yet they ordered us to destroy the Mist Generator! So Noa...Do not blame Terra.

No! NO! Terra, you lied!










































...and destroyed four Mist Generators to save the world form the Mist! Vahn, your deeds are legendary! Your bravery brought the world back from the brink of annihilation! Your determination created hope where there was hopelessness. The world is forever in your debt! Now, children of Rim Elm, Vahn is one of you now! Whatever happens, no matter what troubles you encounter, never forget that!







Music: Rim Elm


Gala and Noa are already up and outside! Why don't you go out, too!





Uh...huh? This must be one of those old-fashioned playable epilogue things. Okay, that's cool. Join me next time as we wander about town and see what's going on now that the world is saved!